


never let me go

by Jenny_Jensen



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Forgetting, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-07 12:24:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19084981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenny_Jensen/pseuds/Jenny_Jensen
Summary: (previously titled If This Is Who We Are on fanfiction, now being edited, slightly rewritten, and posted on here, because I don't remember my password for fanfiction :( but I want to finish this story, and make it better, because my writing is not what it was a year ago.)The friendship between Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper quickly fell apart come the first day of high school. Archie and Betty became popular, Jughead was quickly banished to the Southside after the death of his father.They tried to pretend they were never inseperable. At least, some of them did.Jughead knew what happened to her, Betty didn't want to remember, and Archie was the king of denial. Until Jason Blossom was murdered, that was.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

_This is it._ Fourteen-year-old Betty Cooper thought as she took a final glance in the mirror, her reflection offering a tentative smile in return. _First day of high school._

_If Polly and Chic survived it, you can too._

“Elizabeth, hurry up!” Alice snapped, a false cheerfulness to her tone, just because they had company. “Archie and Jughead are waiting!”

Rolling her eyes, she smoothed down the Alice Cooper approved cream-colored pencil skirt she had chosen to wear, tightened her signature ponytail, and grabbed her backpack from off the desk, her bedroom door slamming shut behind her. Her two best friends, Archie Andrews and Forsyth Pendleton Jones III, known to those who loved him the most simply as Jughead, why, she couldn’t quite remember, stood awkwardly in the foyer, avoiding conversation with Alice, not that she had offered them anything other than allowing them to set foot in her home.

Jughead saw her first, nudging Archie with his elbow. "Hey Betts."

"Hi Juggie.” Betty echoed, gaze already fixated on the red headed boy in front of her. "Hey Arch."

"Hey Betty." He acknowledged, casting a quick glance in her mother's direction. Alice had a bad habit of making her friends nervous, including Kevin, the only one she even halfheartedly approved of. "Ready to go?"

Her head bobbed up and down in an eager nod. "As I’ll ever be. Bye mom."

Alice caught her arm, pulling her into a stiff and unexpected hug. When they separated, the older woman pressed something into her hand.

"I refilled your Adderall." Alice announced brightly, not caring who heard her. "It seems _someone_ forgot to fill their prescription. I want you to stay focused this year, Elizabeth, is that understood?"

“Oh, mom, that stuff makes me feel so...”

“Is that understood, Elizabeth?”

“Fine, sure, whatever.” Betty mumbled, grasping the first thing her fingers came into contact with, the thin, soft and warn fabric of Jughead's gray V-neck, and gave it a determined tug towards the front door. "Bye."

She pulled the dark haired boy after her, throwing Archie a heeded look over her shoulder, silently instructing him to follow along.

"Hey Betts?" Jughead said again, as they made their way down the street. "You're about to give my favorite shirt short sleeves."

"Sorry!" She stuttered, releasing him immediately. "Sorry, Juggie."

He raised an eyebrow, nodding at the container still clutched in her fist. "You haven't been taking those, have you?"

"No." Betty replied. "I flushed them."

"Good." Jughead took it from her, the burden disappearing into his backpack. "You don't need them."

"Tell me that to my mother." Betty sighed. “Thank you, Jug, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Alice had pulled the same trick with Chic and Polly, saying that the drug helped her elder children focus, but those days were long gone, the elder Cooper children skipping town shortly after graduation, leaving Betty to fend for herself. This was not the first time Jughead had disposed of the pills, she never even had to ask him anymore, he just did it, and she was so thankful.

“What about me?” Archie questioned, feigning hurt.

Something about his tone reminded her of the day he’d kissed her. They were eight, and she had just secured his fate as a third grader instead of repeating the year over again. After his beaming mother had broken the news, Archie had grabbed her by the shoulders, making her drop her Nancy Drew guidebook in the uneven grass covering his backyard, pecking her square on the mouth before dropping to his knee in an impromptu proposal as he asked her to marry him.

Jughead, in typical Jughead fashion, had stared at him in response, finally managing to ask Archie if he had gone crazy, reminding him that girls had cooties.

“Archie Andrews,” Betty sang, in the same tone she had used to reject him. _Oh, little Archie, we're too young. Ask me when we're 18 and I'll say yes._ “we’re the Three Musketeers, you, me and Juggie. We’ll be friends for the rest of our lives, and don’t you forget it.”

"Guys!" A familiar voice called. "Wait up!"

“Don’t forget about Kevin.” Jughead mumbled.

Betty slowed her pace, the two boys following suit, waiting for the fourth and final member of their little group to join them.

Kevin adjusted the weight of his messenger bag against his shoulder, taking a few deep, shallow breaths. His cheeks were pink from running, his hair recently cut and perfectly tousled.

He grinned at them. "You guys ready for this?"

Archie offered him a half-nod, Jughead let his shoulders in a shrug. Betty was the only one who returned Kevin's grin with a hopeful smile of her own.

His arm came around her shoulders in a friendly squeeze.

The rest of the walk to Riverdale high was oddly quiet. Betty wondered briefly if the others were also in deep thought but decided against it. None of them were wired the same, the boys didn't think, or overthink, like she did, and for that, she was glad. Their differences were what had held the four together since childhood.

"Are we still going to Pop's after school?"

Simultaneously, Archie, Kevin and Betty froze, similar apologetic, if not regretful, expressions on their faces.

Jughead stared back at them self-consciously. “Was it something I said?”

"I have football tryouts." Archie said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Kevin glanced down at his shoes. "The drama club is having their first meeting. Betty?”

She had forgotten about their promise to share their first day woes over a burger and fries; Pop's had been their usual hangout since they were old enough to cross the street without a parent present, and she had been hoping to go through with her plan before she announced her intentions to the three boys she was closest to. She didn't know how they would react.

"Betts?"

Kevin's grip tightened. An entire summer of his constant nagging, and he had finally worn her down.

"Um... I'm going to try out for cheerleading."

Kevin clapped his hands in delight, drawing her into such a tight embrace, she could barely breathe. Archie smiled faintly, though Betty wished she could read his mind. It was impossible to tell if he was happy for her, disappointed, or if he couldn't have cared less. He had been distracted all summer, becoming more distant after his mother up and left to go live with her sister two states away, so she tried her best to not take his lack of response personally.

Only Jughead had yet to react.

"Oh." He said finally, dark eyes appraising her. "Uh, that's... great, Betty. Good for all of you, I mean."

Jughead's words surprised her. He was the first to admit that without herself, Archie and Kevin, he would have been a loner, hanging out at the library on the weekends instead of in Archie's basement, playing their tedious video games while Betty sat across the room, her nose stuck in a book, rolling her eyes every so often. Betty suddenly realized that part of her had wanted her longtime friend to be proud, an emotion that was rare for him.

"We could meet after." Betty offered lamely. "Maybe at six?"

"Sure." Archie and Kevin agreed in unison.

When Jughead’s lips twitched, his trademark grin, years of adventure and mischief behind it, threatening to show, she let herself relax, thinking that maybe, things were okay again. 

* * *

He glanced at the clock on the wall in disdain. Had time ever moved more slowly? Betty had said six, but Jughead, always one to be early, had arrived at five-forty-five, choosing their usual booth. Though he was starving, he had refused to order until his friends arrived. It was six-thirty now, and he was beginning to regret that decision.

Where were they?

A brush of warm air filled the diner as the door was pushed open, the bell ringing to alert the nearest employee that new patrons had arrived. He heard a familiar laugh, and despite the irritation that had begun to creep into him over the last half-hour, he grinned. Betty walked in, arm-in-arm with Kevin, laughing at some joke Jughead wasn't in on.

Something was different, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that it had to do with the blue and gold uniform that had replaced the pencil skirt and fuzzy sweater she had worn to school that morning. Betty Cooper was now a River Vixen.

Her hair was still pulled back into her tight, trademark pony tail, but a bow that matched her cheerleading outfit had been carefully tied around it. She caught his eye and smiled, still giggling.

"Juggie!" She called, sliding into the seat across from him. Kevin sat next to her.

"Hey." Jughead replied evenly. "Um... Congratulations?"

He could have smacked himself.

He hadn't meant for his statement to come across as a question, and as Betty's contagious smile faltered, he hated himself even more.

He was her best friend, he had been since they were kids. Why couldn't he be more supportive like Kevin, and Archie, if he ever stopped brooding over his changing home life.

Jughead was proud of her. Really, he was. Betty Cooper could do anything she set her mind to, but why, dear god, why did it have to be _cheerleading?_ The Betty he knew was sweet, kind, intelligent, funny, good hearted, good natured, even with a mother who had never really given her a chance. She was absolutely nothing like Cheryl Blossom, who even in her freshman status, was a leading force in the River Vixen's. Bitchy, bold and beautiful, Cheryl was the type of person who would rather have her peers fear her than like her.

Being a River Vixen came with certain expectations and perks, namely, popularity. Betty was doomed to be popular.

"Thanks." Betty replied shortly, her voice snapping him back to reality.

The door swung open again.

A crowd of Riverdale bulldogs filed in, all talking at once, clapping one another on the back and chuckling loudly. In a sea of brown and blonde hair, Archie Andrews stuck out like a sore thumb amongst them. Jughead was the only one who made an attempt to call him over.

"Archie!"

Archie cast a glance over his shoulder and offered the three a quick nod before turning his attention back to Reggie Mantle, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Arch made the team." Betty told him, as if he could have somehow missed that announcement.

She sounded upset.

"Betts, c’mon...”

"Betty!" A new voice called, the bell jingling for the third time. "Kev!"

Veronica!" Kevin said, waving the raven haired girl over.

Jughead turned to Betty. "Veronica?"

"It was her first day." Kevin replied, still waving. "Betty's her peer mentor."

_Veronica._ Jughead thought. The name sounded awfully familiar.

His eyebrow arched upward. "As in _Veronica Lodge?"_

Suddenly, they were both glaring at him.

"Don't say anything about her father." Kevin hissed through clenched teeth.

"She's really nice." Betty confessed. "She helped me make the squad."

Now he had an entirely different reason to distrust Veronica Lodge.

"Hey guys." Veronica greeted. She was wearing a River Vixen's uniform too, her hair loose and falling to her shoulders in flawless curls. She glanced at Jughead, and then stuck her hand out. "Veronica Lodge."

"Jughead Jones," Jughead responded, making no moves to uncross his arms. "the third."

"Jughead Jones the third." The girl repeated, sounding wary. "That's-"

"Veronica!" Cheryl barked as she barged into the diner, several Vixen's following along behind her. "Betty! Come on, we're getting a table."

Betty's face faltered. "Oh... Um, actually, Cheryl, we..."

_"We_ are bonding as a team." Cheryl challenged, tossing her hair. "You _are_ part of the team, aren't you, Betty?"

Jughead's jaw tightened.

No one talked to her like that.

But just as he opened his mouth to fire bark with some snarky remark, what, he often said the first thing that came to

mind, and it was more than sufficient, a familiar hand landed on his arm, squeezing softly.

"Do you mind?" Betty whispered.

She looked so nervous, so worried that she might upset him, that Jughead would have done anything in his power to make sure she never wore that expression again, even if it meant handing her over to the likes of Cheryl Blossom and Veronica Lodge, because he would have done anything for her.

"Not at all." Jughead lied. "We can hang out anytime."

"Thanks Juggie." She muttered, her tone dripping with relief. “I’ll call you.”

Veronica looped her arm through Betty's, leading her away.

Kevin clapped him on the back.

"We'll do something this weekend." He said, following along behind them.

As Jughead watched them go, Betty distracted by something her new friend had said, Archie still trading with Reggie, Jughead's heart sank like a stone. He knew that Kevin's promise would not be kept, and as usual, he was right. In the weeks that followed, his beat up phone never once chimed with an incoming call from Archie, Kevin or Betty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It looks like our precious, prestigious institution is going to be tainted next year."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Varchie is endgame, as is Choni and Bughead, the way it should be :) thanks for reading!

* * *

"Here's to our senior year, bitches!" Cheryl toasted, raising her glass.

“Here, here!” Kevin quipped cheerfully.

Smiling, Betty passed his arm across the table. They were all at varying degrees of intoxication, with the exception of Reggie, Jason and Moose, the designated drivers for the evening, ranging from tipsy to shit faced, but Kevin had doubled his usual intake of alcohol, singing Dolly Parton songs in the car on the way to Pop's, much to her amusement, and Archie's annoyance. They had scored a invite to a former senior's end of the year party, obviously, and after three hours of loud music, bitter beer and bizarre drinking games, Betty had left when a former River Vixen broke out a Latin textbook and demanded that anyone playing either had to conjugate the verb correctly, or take a shot, she managed to collect all of her friends, and convince them that they should probably take the time to sober up before returning to their respective homes, and that was how they had ended up at Pop's, Betty grateful for their late night hours. It wasn't uncommon to see teenagers drinking shakes and eating burgers at two or three o'clock in the morning. The gang was all there, Cheryl, her twin brother Jason, Chuck, who though she secretly despised him, stuck with him because Archie saw some redeeming quality in him that everyone else was blind to, Reggie, who she might have been closer with had he and Veronica not been dating up until two months before, and as her best friend, it was Betty's job to remain slightly distant from Veronica's ex, Moose, Archie, Kevin, Veronica and herself. They were almost a mismatched set of friends, Cheryl the bitch, athletic but quiet Jason, Chuck the creep, the asshole, Kevin, the theater geek, the director and costar of every Riverdale production since the ninth grade, Reggie and Moose, typical jocks, Archie, the musician, Veronica, the trendsetter, and Betty, the resident good girl, but they had stuck together since freshman year, Archie, Kevin and Betty even longer, through the good, the bad and the ugly. She didn’t know what she would do without her friends.

"Oh my god!" Cheryl cried, with the dramatic flair she never tried to deny, drawing the attention back to her for the hundredth time that night. "You guys will not believe what I heard! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you!"

Veronica and Kevin, even in his drunken state, leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

Archie slumped back in his seat. Somehow two and a half beers always left him feeling irritated, even with her. “What is it this time, Cher?”

"Well, as you know, Josie's mother _is_ the mayor."

Betty resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Cheryl often tossed around her connection to Mayor McCoy through her friendship with Riverdale's semi-famous band's lead singer Josie like she thought it would impress the rest of them somehow. Betty liked Josie, but being the daughter of the Mayor, especially in a town as small as Riverdale, was nothing to brag about.

Moose blinked, waiting for the punchline. "Yeah, and?"

"They've decided to close down a certain... High school." Cheryl announced, her lips forming a thin line in disgust.

Chuck mimicked her expression. "Don't tell me."

"Unfortunately." She responded. "It looks like our precious, prestigious institution is going to be tainted next year."

"Yeah." Reggie agreed, his teeth clenched. "By the fucking Southside Serpents."

Betty dug her nails into the palm of her hand. It didn't even have to be his name anymore that brought on the agonizing feeling of guilt over a lapsed friendship that she'd once thought would last a lifetime.

Betty cast a quick glance at Archie to gauge his reaction, but he was deliberately avoiding her gaze, pretending to be interested in Veronica as she explained her hair regimen to Kevin, also for the hundredth time. He didn't want to remember, she couldn't forget.

Only Chuck seemed to clue into her discomfort, merely arching a single brow in response, a silent challenge.

Betty looked away.

Kevin stood up suddenly, nearly knocking Archie from the booth in the process.

"It's a shame about Jughead." He declared loudly.

Out of the three remaining members of their once unbreakable ties, he was the first one to mention his name in years. It had always been an unspoken promise not to.

Veronica mustered some sympathy while Cheryl stared her down, daring her to come to his defense. A few months before, the red headed cheerleader had drunkenly let it slip that her secret pet project was to toughen Betty up, to make her more like Cheryl herself, but Betty wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. There were times that she wanted to scream at the Vixen captain, to tell her just how much she hated her status as a cheerleader, as one of the most popular girls in the junior, senior at the stroke of midnight, class, all eyes on her as she stood faithfully to Cheryl’s left, Veronica at her right, moving down the hallway in perfect formation, at times. No one, not even Archie or Kevin knew that she there were times she resented her friends, that she resented herself for becoming exactly who she was.

One of them.

“He’s still a good guy,” Kevin offered drunkenly. “I wish we hadn’t stopped talking to him. Do you think he’ll ever forgive us?”

His eyes landed on her.

"Betty!" He called, so loudly that Pop himself emerged from the kitchen to give them a warning glare.

Moose stood up.

"Betty!" Kevin said again, grabbing her hand. "Betty, you miss him, don't you? You want to be friends with Jughead again, don't you? He’ll forgive you, he has to! You two were always so... _Close."_

"Kev." Archie mumbled, speaking for the first time in what seemed like hours.

"Kev." Moose echoed, pulling him away from her. "Kevin, c’mon, let me take you home."

Kevin glowered at him. "Why would I want to go with _you?"_

A pained look crossed Moose's face.

"Okay, boys, easy." Cheryl teased, rising. "No need for a lover's quarrel. Kevin can just come with us. Ready, JJ?"

Jason nodded, already pulling his keys from the pocket of his Varsity jacket.

Archie mumbled a goodbye to the rest of the group, catching hold of Betty's elbow to pull her after him, and she wasn't sure why the sudden contact had occurred in the first place, but it no longer sent shivers down her spine, or doted her arms with goosebumps, even in the hottest of temperatures, the way it once had.

"B!" Veronica called.

She was pulled into a too-tight embrace, nearly chocking on the familiar scent of Veronica's favorite Channel No. 5 perfume.

"I'm going to miss you." Veronica gushed, squeezing her again. "Don't forget to call."

"I won't." Betty promised. “See you in August, V, I’ll miss you too.”

They were going their separate ways for the next few months; Kevin was off to a theater camp in North Carolina, Reggie's parents were taking him to Alaska, Moose was going to visit his aunt in Seattle, while both Veronica and Chuck were going to New York, though she had already made it clear that the two would not be crossing paths even one time. Betty had an internship lined up for her in LA, Chic had already agreed to let her stay with him, and she could visit Polly on the weekends if she wasn’t too busy. That just left the Blossom twins and Archie behind in Riverdale, but what their plans were, she had no idea.

"Have a good summer, Ronnie." Archie said.

Veronica merely smiled at him in response, reluctantly following Reggie towards his beat up jeep. Despite the breakup, and all the awkwardness that was still ensuing, they still lived close to one another, and when there were group outings, he still made sure she got home safely. Jason unlocked the door of the prized convertible he'd had since sophomore year, the very car he never let his sister drive, and pushed the front seat forward to let the three of them, Kevin slumped between her and Archie, to crawl into the back.

A hand on her shoulder stopped her from getting in.

“Hey, Betty,” Jason murmured, low enough for only her to hear. “everything’s gonna be okay, just so you know.”

Betty blinked, trying to quickly regain her composure.

In the three years they had been friends, mainly because they hung around the same people, she could count all the conversations she'd had with Jason Blossom on a single hand. He was the quiet type, odd for his reputation as a typical jock, but he laughed at the same jokes the rest of them did, was a straight-A student, and was well-liked by Riverdale's student body despite his tendency to disappear inside himself.

“Wait, what do you-”

“Betty,” Archie grumbled, struggling to pull Kevin after him into the back seat. “a little help?”

Jason patted her shoulder, his touch an odd comfort she barely had time to pay attention to.

“Sorry, Arch!” Betty cried, grabbing Kevin’s arm. “Kev, honey, it’s time to go home.”

He scowled. “I’m mad at Moose.”

“I can see that.”

“I don’t want to go with him.”

“That’s why you’re coming with us.”

“Right, okay.” Kevin finally stopped fighting. “Betty, about Jughead...”

“Later, Kev,” Archie sighed. “much, much later.”

* * *

 On the way home, Kevin moved into singing his favorite show tunes, and even Betty was happy when Jason pulled up in front of her house. Archie climbed out first, offering her a hand. She took it without hesitation, still feeling nothing but the comfort of an old friend when they touched.

"B!" Cheryl called, blowing her a kiss. "Remember-"

"If I see any celebrities, I'll be sure to get you their autograph." Betty finished. She'd already made the promise a hundred times since announcing her summer plans.

"Any _worthy_ celebrities." The Vixen captain corrected. "A-List only, the important ones. See you in August, bitch, love you! Ciao!"

She waited until the car had turned the corner to roll her eyes at Archie, and for the first time all night, he cracked the faintest of smiles.

"Have a good summer." He told her, pulling her into a quick, tight hug. "And don't work all the time, Betty, have a little fun, for once in your life."

"I have fun!" She defended. He merely chuckled, heading towards his house. "Arch, wait."

Archie turned back around. “Yeah?"

She wanted to bring up Cheryl's bombshell. Now that they were alone, it was safe to, but something stopped her. Something held her back. Maybe it was Archie's ignorance, pretending the first fourteen years of their lives hadn't happened, maybe it was the fear that he would lash out at her, or cut her off too.

Maybe it was a reminder that sometimes, the past was better left in the past.

"Never mind." Betty mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I'll see you in August."

"Yeah." Archie replied, tone even. "See you."

She ascended the first step leading towards her house.

"Betty?"

She stopped immediately.

"It's gonna be okay." Archie promised her, jogging to his front door.

"Archie!" Betty called after him.

He was already inside, well out of earshot.

She stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out what, exactly, he had meant by that. The rational part of her mind told her that he was talking about going to LA for the first time, and all the people she was going to meet during the duration of her internship, but her subconscious, or what was left of it after years of being friends with the gang, told her that it was something else entirely.

What was Archie trying to say?

And what was Jason?


End file.
